Distracted Obama loses the war of words to a smooth Romney

Wednesday night’s debate between President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney began promisingly for the incumbent. He opened on a personal note.

“There are a lot of points that I want to make tonight, but the most important one is that 20 years ago I became the luckiest man on Earth because Michelle Obama agreed to marry me,” the president said to laughter. “And so I just want to wish, Sweetie, you happy anniversary and let you know that a year from now, we will not be celebrating it in front of 40 million people.”

Unfortunately for him, it all went downhill from there. Though he scored a few points as the night wore on, Obama was simply overwhelmed by his challenger, delivering what even liberal commentators called one of the most inept presidential debate performances in recent memory.

Romney dearly needed a win, and he got a knockout. His campaign has been plagued with stumbles and missteps since his ill-starred European jaunt this summer. The selection of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate excited the GOP base but left many others, particularly seniors who love their Medicare, cold. The highlight of the Republican National Convention wasn’t Romney’s speech but a doddering Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair. He jumped the gun with an ill-informed statement blasting the president as an appeaser when religious violence flared in the Middle East and North Africa and a U.S. ambassador was murdered. Then came the infamous “47 percent” video, where Romney was secretly recorded writing off nearly half of the U.S. electorate before a crowd of his supporters.

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On the contrary, Obama was coasting on a narrow lead in spite of the fact that the economy – while improving – has stayed sluggish during his term, with unemployment stubbornly remaining at 8 percent or more. Running as a champion of the middle class and painting Romney as an out-of-touch plutocrat, the Obama campaign emerged from its convention on the upswing. Before this week he enjoyed an advantage of more than 3 percent in most national polls, with leads as high as three times that developing in crucial swing states including Pennsylvania.

Then came Wednesday.

The session, moderated – or unmoderated? – by PBS’ Jim Lehrer was a muddle of statistics, claims and denials, most having to do with the economy. Time and again Obama let opportunities slide by. He was distracted and, at times, petulant. It seemed like the president famed for his soaring rhetorical skills decided to take the night off.

Romneysoared in comparison. He was animated and smooth. Most importantly, he looked like a president. It’s likely that some undecided viewers took a measure of the man on that Denver stage and for the first time could picture him living in the White House.

So is it over for the Democrats? Time, and polls, will tell. The vice presidential debate is up next, on Thursday, Oct. 11. Romney and Obama will square off two more times, on Oct. 16 and Oct. 22.

It might do well to remember another president who bombed during his first debate. In 1984 Ronald Reagan was confused and unsteady in his first match with Democrat Walter Mondale. His performance was so shaky that it made many wonder if the oldest president in history was mentally up to the strain of the job. And so moderator Henry Trewhitt of the Baltimore Sun asked the 73-year-old incumbent if he was concerned about the issue. Reagan’s response was a classic.

“Not at all, Mr. Trewhitt, and I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign,” Reagan said. “I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”

With that, the matter was forgotten. Reagan went on to win 49 of the 50 states in the largest Electoral College landslide ever.

Obama will need a moment like that when he faces off with Romney later this month. And if he doesn’t get it, he won’t have to worry about where he’ll celebrate his 21st anniversary with Michelle. They’ll both be back home in Chicago, wondering how it all slipped away.